Page 57 - Labelle Gramercy, Detective

Road Kill

two. Those who know her can attest to her ability to keep up with
the average male in the consumption of alcohol before experiencing
serious motor impairment. She left the Durer residence probably
before nine o’clock. Nobody there was sober enough to note her
departure, or so it would seem.”
I nodded. Durer himself had been unable to remember if the girl
were present or not.
“Her next stop was a return visit to the Peace Corps compound.
The gardien told me that he let her in, that she was inside the
administration building for only a minute, then left on her moped in
the direction of the Hotel du Fleuve. Given the distances involved
and the travel time they require, I can set a provisional time of death
at nine-forty. The gardien also identified two other PCV’s already
inside the building when Sally Furth arrived: Bonnie Banks and Ferris
Canby. They use French first names, like many other Americans here,
so I had no trouble understanding who he meant. Volunteers go in
and out of the compound at all hours; some even sleep there when
they come in from the field and have nowhere else to go. We also
receive our mail in the office, and that is of some interest to me in
this case.”
“Why?”
“Ferris told me this morning that Sally came out of the office
during her second visit holding a letter. There was no letter on her
body, however. She might have discarded it immediately, but I
searched all the trash containers in the compound for it in vain.
Therefore, it may be concluded that the murderer, who did not take
anything of obvious value from his—or her—victim, did take that
letter. This, of course, is based completely on Ferris Canby’s
testimony.”
“Why should you doubt him? Is he a suspect, too?”
“I’m afraid so.” A brief expression of disgust crossed her usually
calm features. “We may have to look at some unpleasant things in
this investigation, Mr. Tate. Ferris is one of the volunteers who
should never have been sent out here. I am telling you this in
confidence, but you may already be aware of the Peace Corps’ lax
methods of screening applicants. If Ferris were behaving in the States
as he does here, he would be in a lot of trouble. He does not take his
work seriously; his primary interest is in working whatever petty

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